The most exciting thing on the Parisian nightlife scene for January is the fact that you can now party until dawn without waking up smelling like an ashtray. Hooray for the new anti-smoking rules (and to the Parisians for following them). Some places have "holding pens" outside where everyone huddles up to smoke (January has been pretty mild so far, though, so it's not too freezing). Some places that don't have a terrace have actually created a smoking area (which is legal as long as it's enclosed and the staff don't have to enter it), such as L'Aqua (Trocadéro) and OPA (Bastille).

New places have opened. The Social Club (142 rue de Montmarte, 2nd) replaced the Triptyque on January 17, with a program of electronic music concerts (sometimes free for the ladies before midnight). Friday club nights at Bobin'O (14 rue de la Gaîté, 14th) have become quite popular, particularly since they're free and there's tons of dance space and (usually) a few cabaret dancers up on the podiums (stay tuned for the next Maison Close soirée...hot!).

Nicolas Ullmann's Cabarock soirées at Paris-Paris have moved to Wednesday nights, and his Kararocké soirées are now everywhere BUT Le Baron (seen so far this year at the Fleche d'Or and L'Aqua (CinéAqua).

There's more gossip that the mythical club Le Palace, which closed in 1995, will reopen this year...